Court issues hold departure order vs Acierto, 6 others

MANILA, Philippines—The Manila Regional Trial Court has issued a hold departure order (HDO) against former police officer Eduardo Acierto, and six others indicted for smuggling of billions of pesos worth of shabu through magnetic lifters.

Covered by the HDO apart from Acierto are former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Deputy Director for Administration Ismael Fajardo; importers Chan Yee Wah alias KC Chan and Zhou Quan alias Zhang Quan; consignees Vedasto Cabral Baraquel Jr. and Maria Lagrimas Catipan of Vecaba Trading and Emily Luquingan.

Acierto and the others are subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Manila court.

Another accused, former Customs Intelligence Officer Jimmy Guban, was already taken into custody of the National Bureau of Investigation last April 17.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) confirmed that the HDO was contained in an order by the Manila court dated April 12.

BI records showed that Acierto and Fajardo are still in the country.

The DOJ indicted Acierto and other accused in court after finding probable cause in the charges against them filed by the NBI.

In the resolution last April 8, the investigating panel of prosecutors led by Assistant State Prosecutor Mary Jane Sytat cleared 32 others in the drug smuggling charges for lack for evidence. /gsg